of Westmoreland. I was not many hours in her company, before I became moft paffionately in love with her. I did all I could to win her heart, and at last asked her the queftion. But before I inform my readers what the confequence of this was, I must take fome notice of what I expect from the critical reviewers. Thefe gentlemen will attempt to raise the laugh. Our moralift, (they will fay) has buried three wives running, and they are hardly cold in their graves, before he is dancing like a buck at the Wells, and plighting vows to a fourth girl, the beauty, Miss Spence. An honeft fellow, this Suarez, as Pafcal fays of that Jefuit, in his provin→ cial letters. author's fo often. To this I reply, that I think it unreafon An apoloable and impious to grieve immoderately for gy for the the dead. A decent and proper tribute of marrying tears and forrow, humanity requires; but when that duty has been payed, we must remember, that to lament a dead woman is not to lament a wife. A wife must be a living woman. The wife we lofe by death is no more than a fad and empty object, formed by the imagination, and to be still devoted to her, is to be in love with an idea. It is a mere chimerical paffion, as the deceafed has no more to do with this world, than if she had exifted before the flood. As we cannot restore what nature has destroyed, it is foolish to be faithful to affliction.-Nor is this all. If the woman we marry has the feven qualifications which every man would wish to find in a wife, beauty, difcretion, sweetness of temper, a fprightly wit, fertility, wealth, and noble extraction, yet death's fnatching fo amiable a wife from our arms can be no reafon for accufing fate of cruelty, that is, providence of injustice; nor can it authorise us to fink into infenfibility, and neglect the duty and business of life. This wife was born to die, and we receive her under the condition of mortality. She is lent but for a term, the limits of which we are not made acquainted with; and when this term is expired, there can be no injustice in taking her back: nor are we to indulge the tranfports of grief to distraction, but should look out for another with the feven qualifications, as it is not good for man to be alone, and as he is by the Abrahamic covenant bound to carry on the fucceffion, in a regular way, if it be in his power.-Nor is this all; if the woman adorned with every natural and acquired excellence is tranflated from this gloomy planet to fome better world, to be a sharer of the divine favour, in that peaceful and happy state which God hath prepared for the virtuous and faithful, muft it not be fenfelefs for for me to indulge melancholy and continue a mourner on her account, while the is breathing the balmy air of paradife, enjoying pure and radiant vifion, and beyond defcription happy? In the next place, as I had forfeited my father's favour and eftate, for the fake of chriftian-deifm, and had nothing but my own honeft industry to fecure me daily bread, it was neceffary for me to lay hold of every opportunity to improve my fortune, and of confequence do my best to gain the heart of the first rich young woman who came in my way, after I had buried a wife. It was not fit for me to fit fnivelling for months, because my wife died before me, which was, at least, as probable, as that she should be the furvivor; but instead of folemn affliction, and the inconfolable part, for an event I forefaw, it was incumbent on me, after a little decent mourning, to confecrate myself to virtue and good fortune united in the form of Whenever the appeared, it was my business to get her if I could. This made me fometimes a dancer at the Wells, in the days of my youth. a woman. §. 8. As to Mifs Spence, fhe was not Mifs cruel, but told me at last, after I had tired reply to my Spence's her with my addreffes and petitions, that addreffes." the would confider my cafe, and give me M 3. an : an anfwer, when I called at her house in Weftmoreland, to which she was then going: at prefent however, to tell me the truth, the had very little inclination to change her condition he was as happy as he could with to be, and fhe had obferved, that many ladies of her acquaintance had been made unhappy by becoming wives. The husband generally proves a very different man from the courtier, and it is luck indeed, if a young woman, by marrying, is not undone-During the mollia tempora fandi, as the poet calls it, the man may charm, when, like the god of eloquence, he pleads, and every word is foft as flakes of falling fnow; but when the man is pleased to take off the mask, and play the domeftic hero; Gods! What miferies have I feen in families enfue! If this were my cafe, I fhould run ftark mad. Mifs Spence's mentioning the memorable line from Virgil, furprised me not a little, as the never gave the leaft hint before, (though we had converfed then a fortnight) of her having any notion of the Latin tongue, and I looked at her with a raised admiration, before I replied in the following manner. What you fay, Mifs Spence, is true. this is far from being the cafe of all gentlemen. If there be fomething ftronger than virtue in too many of them, fomething that mafters and fubdues it; a paffion, or paffions, rebellious and lawless, which makes But them them neglect fome high relations, and take the throne from God and reafon; gaming, drinking, keeping; yet there are very many exceptions, I am fure. I know feveral, who have an equal affection to goodness, and were my acquaintance in the world larger than it is, I believe I could name a large number, who would not prefer indulgence to virtue, or refign her for any confideration. Thers are men, madam, and young men, who allow a partial regard to rectitude is inconfiftent and abfurd, and are fenfible, it is not certain, that there is abfolutely nothing at all in the evidences of religion: that if there was but even a chance for obtaining bleffings of ineflimable warth, yet a chance for eternal bliss is worth fecuring, by acting as the spotless holiness of the Deity requires from us, and the reason and fitness of things makes neceffary, in refpect of every kind of relation and neighbour. This is the cafe of many men. They are not fo generally bad as you feem to think. On the other hand, I would afk, if there are no unhappy marriages by the faults of women? Are all the married ladies confiftently and thoroughly good, that is, effectually fo? Do they all yield themselves intirely and univerfally to the government of confcience, fubdue every thing to it, and conquer every adverfe paffion and inclination? Has reason al ways |